Concentrator



Is w. PoLLoCK.

QONCENTRATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 22, 1920..

Patented May 24,1921'.

00000000000 0000000 00000000000 00000000 0000000000000 000000 OOOOOOOOOOO`O0OOOOO I05000000000ooonoocc Armen/EVS UNITED siuari'zs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. POLLOCK, OF'SAWTEIiLE, CALIFORNIA.

CONGENTRATOR. p

Application filed January 22, 1920. Serial No. 353,375.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN l/V. Torreon, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sawtelle, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a, new and Improved Concentrator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a certain novel construction of rifl'les and amalgamating trays for use in placer mining. By means of my invention a very high,- percentage (98%) of flour gold may be saved, as well as the black sand, which latter is valuable for its iron.

This specification is an enact description of one example of my invention, while the claims denne the actual scopo thereof.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings forming apart of this specification, in which similar' characters of Vreference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure'l is a section on the line l-1 of Fig. 3.

F ig. 2 is a plan view, and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of F ig. l.

a indicates the sluice, which may be single or double, as desired. It is here shown as a single sluice. Formed in the bottom c of the sluice are one or more cavities c2, these cavities slanting downward from one side of the sluice toward the other, and running through the side wall (see Fig. 3). Pla-ced in the cavities a2 are the removable amalgamating trays t, which, occupy the full area of the cavities and project through the open side of the sluice, as shown, these trays o, slanting down in accordance with the slant of the bottom of the cavities c2. Placed over the tray is the riille c. This riflie is preferably formed of a steel sheet perforated as shown. The form of the perforations may be varied to suit the nature of the material worked. The riflle is provided with transverse depressions' or riles proper c. A grizzly or coarse screen Z is adapted to be placed over the bottom of the sluice and over the ril'lle, and is provided with a plurality of transverse upstanding ribs al which serve also as rililes.

Transverse strips e are disposed on the sluice a to overlap the ends of the riffle c, so as to prevent any sand from lodging between the riiile and the sluice. A strip of cloth can be conveniently secured beneath each strip e, thus helping materially to col lect small values that lodge at the ends of the riiile.

ForA the purpose of facilitating the removal of the amalgamating tray o, I have provided a handle secured to the tray on the under side of the same.

l have here shown one. riftle and one amalgamating tray; in practice, however, T shall employ a number of these `elements in each sluice. Tn the operation of the invention, the material to be worked is thrown or washed into the sluioe and caused to run down the same with a stream of water. The coarse, valueless materials will pass over the top of the grizzly, hut the flour gold and black Vsand will drop through the grizzly and drift along the bottom of the sluice. The material, in passing over the riflies, will Vbe agitated, and theparticles of flour gold and black sand escape through the riii'les into the amalgamating trays, which are constructed of copper with a covering of quicio ,silver or mercury. This causes the flour gold to adhere to the trays, while the substances remaining pass olf from the lower end of the trays, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3. A. small concentrate box should be placed under each amalgamating tray to receive the discharge thereof, and these con-v centrates may, from time to time, be shoveled back into the sluice at various points along the length thereof, so as to insure a collection of all the values, but always below the first riilie. This apparatus enables the miner to save all the black sand, in addition to collecting the Hour gold, the blacklsand being irst quality iron with a high market value. The trays t may be readily removed to collect the gold, and other trays be slipped,v

back in their places. This operation may be effected in a very short time (one minute) thereby avoiding stopping the opera-tion of the sluice for any length of time.V The trays are removed by sliding them transversely of the sluice through the open side wall thereof, and in and out of the cavities a2. The riffies c may also be removed at will by simply lifting them upward from their active position. Any number of indentations or riftles proper c may be formed in the rilile c, and the sluice may be of any length desired and fitted with any number of riiiles and amalgamating trays.

Various changes in the form and details fio without departing from the spirit of my invention, hence l consider myself entitledtoall forms of the invention as may lie within the intent of my claims.

- Having thus described my invention7 I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent;

l. A concentrator comprising a longitudinally inclined sluice having a transversely inclined9 longitudinally horizontal cavity in its bottom wall and a discharge passage in one of itspside walls at the lower side oit said cavity, an amalgamating' tray disposed in said inclined cavity to permit of thedischarge therefrom, through said discharge pa., and to effect an equal distribution of values deposited thereon, and `a rnlied screen covering the cavity and superposed to the amalgamating tray.

'2. In a ooneentrator, the combination with Y a longitudinally inclinedsluice having. an opening in one oi"- its side walls and a longitudinally horizontal depressi-on in the bottom wall thereot communicating with the openiiigof said depression having its lower wall transversely inclined downwardly toward the opening, of an amalgamatiiig tray f adapted to be arranged on the lower wall of said depression and projecting through the opening to permit of the discharge of water therefrom and to effect the equal distribution of values deposited on said tray.

3. A concentrator comprising a longitudinally inclined sluice provided with a cavity arranged in the bottom wall thereof, ysaid cavity having a transversely inclined lower wall arranged in a horizontal plane longitudiiially7 said sluice having a discharge.

passage disposel in the side wall at the lower side ol the cavity, an amalgamating trai ada ated to be arranged in the cavit and resting on the lower wall thereof to dis-v pose the sameazt a transverse angle for discharging the water therefrom and for eff footing `an equal distribution of the deposited values thereon and a riliiefscreen covering said cavity and superposed with respect 'to the amalgamating tray. Y

e. ln a co eentraitor, the combination with a longitudinally inclined sluice having an opening in one of its sidewalls, adepres-- Vtherefrom and effecting equal distribution of values deposited on said tray.

Jenn w. roLLooir. 

